# Using tap water in humidor



## dyieldin (Sep 27, 2009)

I have always been stumped why we should not use tap water in a humidor. The thought is that the minerals will make your smoke take on that taste but seems to me that when the H2O evaporate and moves around it leaves the minerals behind, leave a bowl of water on the table for a while and you can see the stuff left behind. Because of this I have never really believed it. Then as I was driving along the other day I happened to think the the chlorine in the tap water also evaporates as a gas, O.K. that could make my smoke taste a bit off. Then it hit me, as cigars age they give off ammonia! Mixing ammonia and chlorine make for a deadly gas. Is this not what was used by Nazi Germany in World War II?

Whatdaya think about it?


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

The known carcinogens in cigars are probably the greater danger there... :smoke:

I think a lot of us use distilled water primarily to prolong the life of our humidity medium (beads, KL, gel, etc). Keep them from getting clogged with all the impurities (not just the cholorine) of the tap water. Additionally, there's the risk of baceteria growing from impure water.


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

Chlorine, fluoride, minerals, bacteria... All uncontrollable factors that can lead to mold growth and miscellaneous flavor effects.

Why bother? You can buy a gallon of distilled water for less than a buck.


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## Flapjack23 (Jan 18, 2012)

Me say no...for the above reasons. Even if you were lucky and no negative impact on your sticks...you would still have a humidifier that stopped working too early.


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## Michigan_Moose (Oct 11, 2011)

BAD JUJU


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## ghe-cl (Apr 9, 2005)

I'm no chemist but I think you're off base on the potential danger. By the time the water reaches your tap there's little, if any, free chlorine in it. Even if it were present, I think the minute quantities combined with the minute amounts of ammonia potentially released from the cigars would require sophisticated instruments to detect. As David said, the real danger is that the impurities in the water will foul your humidification system and are more likely to cause mold or mildew. (Also, chlorine gas was used in WWI, but I believe you may be thinking of the effects of the more toxic and volatile Mustard gas. Probably the most well known gas from WWII was Zyklon-B, a cyanide gas used by Nazis in their death camps.)


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## Snagged (Aug 20, 2010)

Chlorine evaporates out of water quickly, so it doesn't really cause you any problems. 

I disagree that the "purity" of distilled water will hinder mold/bacteria growth, and I hear this being repeated all the time. This is just silly. As soon as you put distilled water in your humidifying device, it's no longer "pure." It's contaminated by whatever is in your humidifier and whatever is in the air. Mold spores are all around you waiting for a moist place to grow (your humidor) with something organic to eat (wood, paper, cigars). They don't care whether it's moist from distilled water or not. Tap water is NOT contaminated with bacteria and mold that will grow in your humidor...it's just not. I'm sure the bottled water industry would like you to think it is, but it's very clean...that's what the chlorine's for. If you have bacteria in your tap water, you've got bigger problems than a moldy humidor. 

The mineral content of tap water, however, can potentially clog up beads if it's added to them directly. THAT is the benefit of distilled water...no minerals. When water evaporates, it leaves behind minerals that were disolved in it. These mineral deposits can affect your humidifying device.


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

There is plenty in your post I agree with, but this is just a flat out lie:


Snagged said:


> Tap water is NOT contaminated with bacteria


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## jmj_203 (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't agree with anyone arguing its okay or safe to use tap water. I learned my lesson with wonky nasty tasting smokes from my first 6 months of using tap water (small town crappy water), and I also had mold. This however could have been just from using a crap foam humidifier. If you want to believe that and use tap water, go right ahead but I've been using distilled for 4 years roughly with no mold, no incidents at all, and nothing but deliciously aged smokes. I learned my lesson from ruining multiple Oliva v's, O maduros, and lots of expensive smokes using my city tap water.


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## avitti (Jun 4, 2011)

What Types of Bacteria Are Found in Tap Water? | eHow.com


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## Quine (Nov 9, 2011)

It's not about bacteria or spores which can be in the air anyway and will reach your humidifier eventually even using distilled water. It's about mineral deposits left behind by evaporating tap water that will shorten the effective life of your humidification sponge or beads or what ever. Actually, the beads are cheap enough that you could replace them easily once a year and not notice any problem. If you live in a place where the tap water really smells bad that would be something else to consider, but this isn't normally a problem.

As for chlorine and ammonia there is a misunderstanding. The chlorine in normal water is present in such small quantities we can't even detect it without instruments. Same (usually) with ammonia in cigars. In a pool, for example, there is usually more chlorine and can affect your eyes (for example), but still not nearly enough to be a serious health risk to lungs (though young children might have a problem around indoor pools). It is the COMBINATION of a chlorinated compound (like that found in Clorox detergent for example) mixed with something that has ammonia (like windex or other cleaners) that causes a chemical reaction releasing pure (and relatively concentrated) chlorine gas and that can be a serious health risk especially in closed spaces -- like the bathroom you are trying to clean. What happens is that the chlorine gas, when it contacts the moist tissues of mouth, eyes, throat, and lungs, becomes hydrochloric acid and eats your tissues away!


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## EdATX (Dec 21, 2008)

Only problem is, after you open it and pour some out, whatever is in the air, is now getting into your fresh bottle of distilled water.



David_ESM said:


> Chlorine, fluoride, minerals, bacteria... All uncontrollable factors that can lead to mold growth and miscellaneous flavor effects.
> 
> Why bother? You can buy a gallon of distilled water for less than a buck.


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## Michigan_Moose (Oct 11, 2011)

This is just silly....LMAO

I will stick with the experts on this one, tap water is bad mmmmkay!


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2012)

This argument has gotten completely asinine...

Bottom line, DW is cheap and there is no reason to bother using tap water and risking it


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## JaWimb (Feb 7, 2012)

Pale Horse said:


> This argument has gotten completely asinine...
> 
> Bottom line, DW is cheap and there is no reason to bother using tap water and risking it


This pretty much sums it up. If it's not broken, don't fix it.


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## rocketmann82 (Jun 20, 2010)

What about spring water???:wink:


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## Eastree (Jan 28, 2012)

Spring water, bottled (assuming it has at least been properly filtered to remove possible biological baddies) would still pose risks with its mineral content, of clogging beads etc.


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## rocketmann82 (Jun 20, 2010)

Eastree said:


> Spring water, bottled (assuming it has at least been properly filtered to remove possible biological baddies) would still pose risks with its mineral content, of clogging beads etc.


LOL... I was trolling brother. Notice the Wink Icon at the end.


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## tpharkman (Feb 20, 2010)

Pale Horse said:


> This argument has gotten completely asinine...
> 
> Bottom line, DW is cheap and there is no reason to bother using tap water and risking it


Agreed. This should be moved to the banter thread as the current discussion of water sources and their respective purity has nothing to do with cigars.


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## Eastree (Jan 28, 2012)

rocketmann82 said:


> LOL... I was trolling brother. Notice the Wink Icon at the end.


I should have realized. It's sometimes tough to know a (Sarcasm) wink from a (meaning well) wink online lol

It's what happens when I'm too busy evaluating my meager inventory this close to bed time!


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